SAN FRANCISCO -- Google Wallet went live on Sept. 20. On the same day, Cantaloupe Systems announced that vending machines equipped with its Seed Cashless solution can support the new mobile payment service.

Google's Mobile Wallet allows a consumer to make a purchase with a near-field communications (NFC)-enabled Google Android phone. Users of the application link a prepaid Google Wallet card or major credit card to their Google Wallet to transfer funds before using the phone to make a purchase.

Cantaloupe said all existing Seed Cashless customers can now automatically accept Google Wallet at their vending machines. Customers using the application simply tap their phones at the venders to pay for their purchases. | SEE VIDEO DEMONSTRATION

"Our goal as a company is to bring leading-edge retail technology to the vending industry, and you can't get more leading-edge than Google Wallet, which allows consumers to buy everything from electronics to snacks using their smartphones," said Cantaloupe cofounder and chief marketing officer Anant Agrawal. "Our customers' goals are to improve customer choice and services. Adding this cashless mobile payment option to existing payment choices will go a long way toward accomplishing that."

The initial Google Wallet rollout is limited to the Nexus S 4G Android phone supported by Sprint. Cantaloupe Systems said it would expand to accommodate other NFC payment systems when they come to market.

The Coca-Cola Co. said in June that it had partnered with Google to test the Google Wallet mobile payment system unveiled by the Internet giant a month earlier. | SEE STORY